


someone new

by lesmiserablol



Series: Zukka Week 2021 [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Mutual Pining, Protective Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 05:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30084285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesmiserablol/pseuds/lesmiserablol
Summary: “How was work?” Azula asks. Her tone tells him she isn’t making polite conversation, but is instead interrogating him.“Work was fine,” Zuko says.“Any weird stories?”“No.”“Weird customers?” Mai asks."Not really.”“Cute customers?” Ty Lee presses, raising her eyebrows suggestively.Damn it. He can already feel his face beginning to redden, and judging by the looks of the three girls, they’re noticing. He clears his throat. “Cute? I don’t...probably, I just don’t notice that, though. I was busy. Working. At work.”
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zukka Week 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2211507
Comments: 43
Kudos: 261





	someone new

**Author's Note:**

> This is for day three of Zukka week for the prompt of a coffee/tea shop au :)

Zuko’s walk home from work has never been so enjoyable. He smiles goofily at no one in particular. He waves at a curious baby. He sees an elderly couple heading toward a shop near him and he holds the door open for them with a small smile. He knows he looks ridiculous, but hopefully letting himself bask in these emotions now will help him when he gets home to keep up a poker face until he can escape to his room and grin like an idiot into his pillow. 

_ Is this what it feels like to be in love?  _

He takes a deep breath as he jangles his keys anxiously, unlocking the front door and stepping inside before shutting it behind him. He takes off his shoes and realizes Uncle is not in the living room, and he finds himself humming quietly to himself as he goes to the kitchen in the hopes of greeting him so he can then excuse himself to feel twitterpated in peace. He steps into the kitchen, but frowns at the emptiness of it. Not even a tea cup in sight. A piece of paper on the fridge catches his attention. 

_ I’ll be back at 6. I can pick up dinner. Love, Iroh  _

Zuko smiles softly. Iroh signs all his notes, even the insignificant ones, with his love. He’s so thoughtful. And he’s picking up dinner? He has the best uncle, maybe he’ll show his gratitude by cleaning the—

“Zuzu, is that you?”

Zuko jumps quickly and turns on his heel to watch Azula walk in the kitchen, followed by Ty Lee and Mai. He manages to calm down just a bit when he realizes that they are not, in fact, intruders here to murder him, but his heart is still racing from being caught off guard. 

“I thought I heard you. I didn’t realize you worked this late today,” Azula says, sitting up on the counter near the kitchen entrance and sticking her legs out across it to rest on the wall and block his only exit. It's a move that would look suspicious coming from anyone else, but the way Azula does it is so casual, a stranger might think she was unaware she was trapping him inside.

Zuko is not a stranger, though, and knows that to get past his little sister, he'll need to convince her that nothing is different about him today.

“I took the long way home,” he explains, forcing his expression to stay neutral and his voice even. “It was a nice day.”

Azula narrows her eyes. “It’s cold out and you’re not wearing a sweater. You hate the cold.”

“65 degrees is not cold, Azula.” He rolls his eyes, hoping for some easy sibling banter. 

“It is to you,” Mai replies, and Ty Lee giggles. 

“How was work?” Azula asks. Her tone tells him she isn’t making polite conversation, but is instead interrogating him. 

“Work was fine,” Zuko says. He blinks once. He does a little shrug. Nailed it. 

“Any weird stories?” 

“No.”

“Weird customers?” Mai asks, grabbing an apple. 

"Not really.”

“Cute customers?” Ty Lee presses, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

_Damn it._ He can already feel his face beginning to redden, and judging by the looks of the three girls, they’re noticing. He clears his throat. “Cute? I don’t...probably, I just don’t notice that, though. I was busy. Working. At work.”

There’s a silence that is broken when Azula lets out a snort of laughter and Ty Lee claps her hands together, her eyes going impossibly wide. 

“Zuko!” she says, almost reverently. “You saw a cute customer today!”

“What?” he scoffs, as Mai barks out a laugh. “What are you...talking about? I don’t even...I didn’t see any customers today, thank you for asking, I actually got a new job today, one that involves zero customers, especially cute ones, so.”

The three of them exchange a look, and Zuko feels his stomach sinking. He glances at the kitchen exit, which Azula is still effectively blocking, and then over to the window above the sink, debating which option would be more practical for fleeing the scene. Maybe the window, the room is suddenly starting to feel very hot and he could use some fresh air.

“What’s his name?” Azula asks. 

“I didn’t catch it,” Zuko lies. Azula quirks an eyebrow, and he sighs. “Sokka,” he mumbles. 

Ty Lee squeals in excitement, as if knowing his name tells her all she needs to know about this cute stranger. “How did you meet?”

“Well, I was a tea shop employee, and he was a customer. Can I make it any more obvious?” he deadpans. 

That earns a smile from Mai. Azula rolls her eyes, unimpressed. 

“What about this _Sokka_ guy is making you act like a lovesick teenager?” Azula asks, studying him closely. 

“I wouldn’t say lovesick—“

“Aw, Zuko, don’t deny it. Love at first sight does exist!” Ty Lee says, her tone encouraging. 

“I’m not...I didn’t say...”

“You didn’t need to,” Mai smirks. “I’ve never seen you have this reaction about a guy before.”

Zuko throws his hands in the air. “Because there _haven’t been_ any guys like him before! We only talked for maybe ten minutes, but he was so funny, and so smart, like, I didn’t understand anything he was saying about his classes but they sounded very fancy and he looked very nice while he talked about them. And he was wearing a sweatshirt that said Alaska on it so I asked about it and he said that’s where he grew up and he taught me a phrase in Inuktitut and I can’t remember it now because he was too distracting and he talks with his hands and at one point he undid his ponytail and then ran his fingers through his hair and tied it back up, and he smiles like it’s second nature, and did I mention he’s a very beautiful person—”

Zuko realizes he’s rambling and closes his mouth so tightly that his teeth click painfully. He crosses his arms across his chest as he stares back at all three girls, trying not to act as flustered as he feels. Mai looks surprised and amused, Ty Lee is clutching her chest and looking at Zuko like he just won a gold medal, and Azula’s smile is teasing with only a hint of fondness. 

“What was that about it not being love at first sight?” Azula asks, breaking the silence, and Zuko groans. 

“And the thing is I only got his name, I don’t know his number or _anything_ , someone needed a refill and by the time I was done with it he was hurrying to grab his stuff and told me he had to go to his 3 o’clock class,” Zuko sighs. 

“3 o’clock?” Azula asks immediately, and Zuko wants to kick himself for letting any information slip. Sokka really short circuited something in his brain, huh? “That’s a shame, I’m busy Wednesday afternoon, otherwise I would show up and scope him out for myself while you work.”

“How do you know he’s going to be there?” Zuko frowns, completely thrown, but he’s honestly curious. _Is_ he going to be there? Zuko would love to see him again, but he also doesn’t think he will be able to focus on work for a single minute if he knew Sokka would show up again. He shakes these thoughts away. “How do you know  _ I’m _ going to be there?” 

“Because you just told me,” Azula smirks. “As for him, well, if he has a 3 o’clock class on Mondays the chances are high that he has it on Wednesdays, too. And if you guys talked for so long but didn't exchange numbers or anything, I bet he'll try and see you again.”

Zuko’s palms feel sweaty. “Do you think so?”

“Guess you’ll have to wait and find out,” Azula shrugs.

* * *

Zuko resolutely spends Wednesday morning completely focused on his tasks at work, serving all the customers with his usual smile, and not looking up every time the door opens and someone walks in.

That’s a lie. He tries not to be so cliché, but every time the door opens and the bell lets out a soft _ping_ his eyes are drawn to it like a magnet. Azula, of course, notices this immediately when she walks in at noon.

“Expecting someone, Zuzu?” she grins.

“What are you doing here?” He narrows his eyes, but a moment later they widen in surprise when she takes off her jacket and he sees her uniform. “ _What_ are you doing here?” he repeats.

“Oh, did Jin not tell you?” Azula asks innocently. “I traded shifts with her.”

Zuko groans. “No you didn’t.”

“Yes I did,” Azula sings, clocking in on the register. “If it makes you feel better, she asked me a few days ago instead of the other way around. Imagine my surprise when it just so happened to line up with your Wednesday afternoon shift!”

Zuko loves his sister. Truly, he does. He tries to remind himself of this as she puts on her apron and ties her hair up in a ponytail.

“Relax, I swear you’re going to glare holes into my skull,” she tells him. “This will be fun, we don’t work together as often since you started taking classes.”

Zuko has no choice but to bite down any response when a customer steps up to the register expectantly and he takes their order. 

He tries to focus on work, ignoring Azula and only giving the door a quick glance when it opens, and the lunch rush makes the time go by quickly. College students fill up the tables to get some work done in between classes, older couples enjoy a cup of tea together, and the occasional worker in a professional suit grabs a coffee to go before their break ends. By the time the shop is quieting down, Zuko can breathe a little more, and he has even exchanged a few civil words with Azula. He is the definition of cool and collec—

_ Ping. _

He drops the tea cup in his hands and it shatters on the ground behind the counter.

A few people look up curiously, but Zuko doesn’t notice. His eyes are glued to the door where Sokka has walked in. 

Something moves out of the corner of his eye — Azula, glancing over her shoulder at him and giving him a smirk, and too late he realizes that _she_ is standing at the register, and Zuko is not. Sokka is approaching the short line at the register, and Zuko is still frozen in place even as Sokka looks up and makes eye contact with him. He doesn’t think he is imagining the way that Sokka’s face lights up, his hand raising to give him a small wave.

“Zuko, could you sweep that up before one of us steps on it?” his sister asks innocently, glancing at the mess. Before he can respond, Azula is getting a refill for a customer and he hurries to grab the broom. If he’s quick enough, he can finish it before Sokka orders— 

No dice. He was next in line and he is already talking to Azula by the time Zuko steps out of the back room, laughing, and Zuko is conflicted. Sokka’s laughter makes something in Zuko’s chest tighten, but his sister being the cause of it makes his stomach drop. 

Zuko sweeps up the broken tea cup in a hurry but Sokka is already moving out of the way for the next customer. 

“I can get that drink,” he says to Azula, but she pulls the cup out of reach just in time. 

“I got it, you’re such a sweet brother though,” Azula croons. “Can you get the register?”

It’s not a request. She’s already shoving him toward the register before he can answer, and an impatient businesswoman starts rattling off her drink order immediately. 

Zuko is distracted as he helps the next several customers. Azula is making all the drinks at his side, calling their names when they’re ready, but hand delivering Sokka’s to him personally, something that Zuko only realizes when he looks over to her and sees that she’s gone. He panics as he looks up and sees her making Sokka smile at his table. As unrealistic as it is to feel jealous over his lesbian sister flirting with the guy that Zuko met yesterday, his feelings won’t listen to reason, and he’s still pouting when she returns behind the counter and continues making drinks. He wants to ask her what they were talking about, but when he glances at the smirk on her face, he’s not sure if he wants to know. Did she tell Sokka any embarrassing stories? Were there pictures of him in her pocket from when he was younger and had a bowl cut? Did her usual teasing of her brother come off the wrong way to Sokka, and would he think differently of Zuko now? 

The tea shop was deadly quiet before Sokka arrived, but now the line won’t go away, and Zuko can’t stop looking over at Sokka’s table. They make eye contact several times, which would be embarrassing if Sokka hadn’t been caught staring first as many times as Zuko. 

Zuko feels his time running out. What if Sokka has to leave before Zuko gets the chance to speak with him?

Sure enough, eventually he sees Sokka slowly putting his things away. _No._ The line is too long, he doesn’t know when he’ll get his chance again. Before he can worry about controlling the panic on his face, there’s a hand on his arm. 

“I can handle the line for two minutes,” Azula says. “Any longer than that and your free drink of the day becomes mine.”

Zuko blinks at her, then realizes he doesn’t want to wait for her to change her mind. He tries not to run to where Sokka seems to be deliberately taking his time. 

“Busy day,” Sokka smiles. 

“Yeah, sorry, I...that was my sister, she’s...well, it’s probably best you ignore everything she just said to you.”

“Everything?” Sokka raises his eyebrows. “That’s a shame. She told me some pretty amazing things about you.”

“I— what?” Zuko asks dumbly. 

“She also threw in a few threats if I ever break your heart, but I don’t plan on letting them come true.”

“Break...my heart?”

“Right, I should clarify, I fully intend on asking you out on a proper date sometime. Got your sister’s blessing and everything," Sokka says.

Zuko takes all of two seconds to have an internal dance party over this before his face breaks out into a smile. “And I fully intend on saying yes to this date.”

Sokka smiles at him for a second, looking dazed. “Right. Well, your sister also told me the other days you work this week, so I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can figure out that date.”

_Tomorrow._ “Yeah, that’s...definitely. Cool. Okay.”

Zuko is suddenly very aware of how long the line is getting, and Sokka glances at his watch. 

“Tell your sister I said bye,” Sokka grins. 

Zuko returns to the other side of the counter, jumping back into work mode but smiling at his sister. 

“You—“

“I know, I know,” she says, trying to hide her smile from him. 

"You can have my free drink for the day, you can have my free drinks for the rest of the month, I don't care."

"Come on, Zuzu."

“I mean it Azula, you are the best.”

She smirks. “Don’t you forget it.”

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://bisexuallsokka.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
